


that's our kind of love

by katniss_annabeth_luna_mellark



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 19:17:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14291637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katniss_annabeth_luna_mellark/pseuds/katniss_annabeth_luna_mellark
Summary: She’d told Oliver once that he’d opened up her heart in a way she didn’t know was possible. That couldn’t have been more accurate.





	that's our kind of love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katana_fleet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katana_fleet/gifts).



> A little belated birthday gift for katana_fleet! Happy birthday!! Also congratulations on getting me to write my first Arrow fic, it needed to happen anyways :) Basically a fluffy little Queen-Smoak-Clayton family drabble.
> 
> Title from "Our Kind of Love" by Lady Antebellum.
> 
> Enjoy!

William Clayton had grown up with a pretty good idea of what love was.

Love was his mom being there to tuck him into bed every night and waking him up with pancakes every morning.

Love was the way they would have movie nights every Friday, watching Star Wars and superhero movies over and over again.

Love was when he would see his mom for the first time after a school camp and would go leaping into her arms for the biggest hug ever.

But one man changed that, took all the love William had ever known away from him. Just like that.

For a long time, a dark time, after that, William forgot what love looked like. What it _felt_ like. Only one person, the one he was _supposed_ to love, was left.

But he didn’t love Oliver Queen.

He was the reason the bad man killed his mom, he just knew it. He couldn’t bare to love him, even tolerate him. In his eyes, that crime was unforgivable.

William thought nothing could redeem his father. How could it? He had no idea what love was. If he did, he would have saved his mom, superhero or not.

But then a woman came over to help him with math homework, and in that instant, he knew he’d been wrong. Oliver Queen did understand love.

Because the way he looked at Felicity Smoak…that was something different, like nothing he’d ever seen before.

 _That_ was love. Right in front of his eyes.

So, when she started staying over, when his dad proposed, when they got married and were ready to live happily ever after, William changed, too. He thought maybe, _maybe_ , he could love them too.

\--

Oliver Queen had a fickle relationship with love.

His parents had always had it, to some degree. Once he would have said it was the truest love he’d ever seen. Until he’d learnt about Malcom, all those years later.

He’d had it, once, early on, with Laurel. But it wasn’t enough. Maybe it was to rebel against his parents’ example, maybe it was just _him_. But then came Sara, and all the others.

He loved Speedy, though. That was certain.

When his father sacrificed himself, shot himself in the temple in order to endure Oliver’s survival, he knew in that moment, that sort of love was something he’d never understand.

Then came the island, cold and dark, not a place any self-respecting person would look for love.

(Oliver Queen was many things, but self-respecting was not at the top of the list.)

He loved Shado for a time, until she was killed. They were always taken away, that was the catch. Even years later, his mother was gone, his father was gone, Sara was gone. Before long, he’d seen Laurel and Thea gone.

But since getting off the island, there’d been one person, always and constantly standing by his side. The I.T girl with the red pen, who saw through his lies without a second thought, but did what he asked anyway. She trusted him, with no real reason to. And before long, he started trusting her too.

They were partners, allies, a team. Respect and trust started being a staple in their relationship, and as time went on, so did love.

Her loved her. He knew with all his heart that his life would only get better with her in it. She was the light, the bright spot of happiness in his otherwise dark life. It took them some time, _too much time, really_ , but it was worth it. Every goddamn minute.

He didn’t expect to be a father so soon. He’d let himself dream about it before, first with Laurel, then with Sara, even during those few months of peace with Felicity.

But then came that one visit to Central City, and the boy with the Flash action figure.

 _William_.

He’d known it as soon as he’d seen the boy, when he saw Samantha for the first time in years. He was his.

It was only through tragic circumstances that William became part of this life, but Oliver was thankful nonetheless. He loved the boy, even if the boy didn’t love him back.

When Chase kidnapped William, held a gun to his head, Oliver started to understand that love he saw in his father’s eyes, all those years ago in the exact same spot. The love that meant sacrifice, the fact that he would have done anything, _anything_ , to save him.

But they still weren’t a family. Not until he saw his son and Felicity doing homework, baking cookies (which she’d claimed was the same thing), playing video games; seeing them together, the happiness that was finally in his life, _that_ was what love was, almost as if it was a palpable thing.

Maybe he’d lost people he loved, but he had so many still here.

\--

Love was a thing of fiction in Felicity Smoke’s early life. All she had was her mom, who granted, loved her enough, and a deadbeat dad who ran off and left them when she was young.

Love didn’t exist.

When she met Cooper in college, she though, _maybe_. Maybe somehow, in her messed up, empty life, there was room for something as least resembling love. They understood each other when no one else did, as if they spoke their own special language. They planned to save the world together, changing the city, one hack at a time.

She’d cursed herself for being so stupid.

He left, just like her dad, and for years afterwards, she tried to blend in. No one really saw her, a quiet I.T girl in a big company. She was just a face.

Until one face picked her out and handed her a bullet-ridden laptop.

She knew who Oliver Queen was, everyone did. News spread, not only of his dance with death, but also of his reputation.

She’d had to admit, that didn’t match up with the man she was seeing in front of her.

She trusted him, much to her horror. She’d never fully trusted anyone in a long time. But then he trusted her with what was perhaps the biggest secret of their lives.

And she let it take over her life. Let _him_ take over. Felicity knew what was coming, could feel it happening.

She was falling in love with the Green Arrow. Oliver Queen. Whoever.

The one thing she’d sworn never to let herself do, and she was diving in head first. It killed her for a while, seeing him oblivious, with Laurel or Sara. But even he couldn’t remain blind forever.

A few times, she tricked herself into believing he felt the same. But then, after a while, a _long_ while, something funny happened.

He told her he _did._

It wasn’t a smooth ride, assassins and magical villains getting in the way at every turn. But somehow, _somehow_ , they’d survived it.

Felicity may not have believed in love, but the multiverse was making it damn near impossible to maintain that disbelief.

Finding out Oliver had a son was a big hit. She was mad, for a long time.

But then she met the kid, met his mother, saw how Oliver cared, and everything made sense. When Samantha died, she was selfish. Started imagining a life with not only Oliver, but William too: pancakes for breakfast, movie nights, the works.

She set herself for disappointment, but it didn’t come.

Before she could blink, she was launched into this world of field trips and lunches, homework and video games. It made it harder, being a parent, to comprehend how her father could have up and left, no matter what threat was looming over him.

She’d told Oliver once that he’d opened up her heart in a way she didn’t know was possible. That couldn’t have been more accurate.

\--

“Dad, you need to get better at this, you’re not even _competition_ anymore,” William complained, throwing his controller beside him on the couch, “I’ll have to wait for Felicity to get back.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t spend my teenagers years glued to a PlayStation!” Oliver defended, following his son’s lead at tossing the controller away.

They heard Felicity’s voice even before the door opened, “Yes, what _did_ you do in your teenage years, my love?”

Smirking as his wife turned the corner and entered the room, he felt his body lighten just a little bit.

“Yeah, dad. What’d you do for fun, shoot arrows around the house?” William shot back, sitting up a little straighter.

“See, Oliver. Inquiring minds want to know.” Felicity teased, perching on the side of the couch near William. The ease they had around each other, anyone could have thought they’d been around each other for years.

Felicity raised a brow at him, clearly interested to hear his response. They both knew for certain that his habits as a teenager were not suitable for young ears.

“I listened to my mom and dad and did whatever they told me,” he replied, tossing a pillow towards his son. Both Felicity and William snorted.

“What, you don’t believe me?” he asked, mock hurt in his voice.

“Nope,” William said quickly, voice flat.

“Not a chance,” Felicity added, the two of them preparing for a high five at the sight of Oliver’s face. Rising from his spot on the couch, he moved slowly towards the two of them, eyes shifting from one to the other before they landed on his wife.

Without warning, he reached one hand under her knees and the other around her shoulders, hoisting her up and carrying her around the living room between explosions of laughter and giggles. After many kicks (and probably bruises), Oliver dropped her back onto the couch, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

“Urgh, you guys are gross,” William complained, covering his eyes with the pillow his dad had so affectionately tossed at him minutes earlier.

“Oh, you hear that, Oliver? We’re gross.”

“Good,” Oliver replied, leaning down for more. Upon hearing more groans from his teenage son, he straightened and made his way to the kitchen, returning, much to the delight of Felicity and William, both of whom had a sweet tooth, with the cookies he’d picked up from the store on his way home.

They had already picked up the video game where Oliver had left off.

He smiled, watching the two of them from behind, desperate to capture that moment forever.

\--

Later that night, after William had passes out on the couch and Oliver and Felicity moved him into bed, the tiniest little sound escaped from his lips.

“I love you, guys.”

Oliver smiled down at his son. He leant down to press a kiss to his forehead, then moved to wrap an arm around Felicity’s waist, doing the same.

“We love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
